Vegetable slicer



L. l. YEOMANS VEGETABLE SLICER Filed Jan. 25

April 1o, 1934.

Patented Apr. 10, 1934 VEGETABLE SLICER Lucien I. Yeomans, Chicago,Ill., assignor to Abraham Ncchin, Chicago, Ill.

Application January 25, 1933, Serial No. 653,397

2 Claims.

The invention pertains to a tool or implement for use in slicingvegetables, and has special reference to a vdevice of this character forslicv ing potatoes, in which the cutting or slicing operation producesan elongated thin strip which may be fried in deep fat after the fashionof potato chips.

One object of the invention is to produce a slicing implement of theabove character in which two strips are formed simultaneously and in amanner such as to produce a wave-like formation instead of the usuallyformed spiral or helix, thereby insuring that the two strips which arecut in each slicing operation shall be discharged separately forvgreater convenience in handling.

Another object is to provide an implement of this character which may beconstructed very cheaply so as to be capable of being sold at a lowvprice.

The objects of the invention thus generally stated, together with otherancillary advantages, are obtained by the construction illustrated inthe accompanying drawing forming part here- 25. 0f in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the operation ofproducing two separate elongated strips of wave-like contour.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionalview through one end of the device showingthe cutting blades.

Fig. 3a is a similar view showing cutting blades of a modified form.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken in 35. the plane of line 4-4of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary Vertical sectional View illustrating theconstruction of the clamp.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the driver by means of which thepotato is revolved.

Fig. 7 is an end view thereof.

In the illustrative embodiment shown, the device comprises generally aU-shaped bracket 8 having on one leg 9 a pair of cutter blades 10 and 11with an impaling prong 12 disposed 45. centrally between the two blades.In the upper end portion of the other leg 13 of the bracket is journaledan axially slidable drive shaft 14 having a crank 15 at one end and adriver 16 at the other end adapted to engage a potato or other 50.vegetable impaled on the prong 12 to impart a rotary movement to thepotato, which is designated A in Fig. 2. The device also comprises aclamp generally designated 17 whereby the implement may be mounted upona table or the like. The bracket 8 is formed from a single strip ofmetal bent to provide a central or yoke section 18 having the leg 9rising from one end thereof and the leg 13 from the other end thereof.The yoke section 18 may be ribbed longitudinally as at 19 to addstrength and rigidity to the bracket.

The leg 9 of the bracket is cut to form two longitudinal slots 20 and21, with their adjacent ends spaced a short distance apart,approximately centrally of the leg 9; and spot-welded or otherwiserigidly secured upon the inner side of the leg 9 is a steel plate 22which is also cut to form slots 23 and 24, with the cutting blades 10and 1l bent outwardly from the plane of the plate as shown clearlyinFig. 4. The impaling prong 12 is suitably mounted centrally of thecutter plate between the two blades 10 and 1l.

The opposite leg 13 of the bracket has its upper end apertured to form abearing 25, and is thence extended outwardly to form an arm 26 having adepending lug 27. The latter is also apertured to provide a bearing 28for the drive shaft spaced from the bearing 25.

The crank arm 15 is equipped with a suitabl handle 29, and the arm maybe so positioned on the shaft as to form a stop, limiting the axialfeeding movement of the driver 16 toward the cutter blades 10 and 11.

For the sake of economy in manufacture, the driver 16 is formed from twopieces of sheet metal includingl a disk 30 having struck up therefrom atspaced intervals impaling lugs 31, three being herein shown. This disk30 has itsperipheral edge seated within a groove 32 formed at theperipheral edge of a holder comprising a second disk 33 which hasitscentral portion extended rearwardly to form a sleeve 34 receiving theforward end ofthe shaft 14 and secured thereto as by means of a pin 35.

The clamp 17 is formed from a iiat sheet of metal cut and bent toprovide a body 36 having an upturned end portion 37 adapted to bear atits upper edge against the underside of the bracket yoke member 18, anda pair of side iingers 38 having their upper ends bent to form lugs 39overlying said bracket portion 18. The end of the body 36 opposite thebearing arm 37 has oppositely-disposed lugs 40 coacting with the end ofthe base plate 36 to retain a nut 41 carrying a clamping screw 42, theportion of the base plate 36 below the nut being longitudinally slottedto permit the passage of the screw.

The lower end of the screw is equipped with the usual finger piece orhead 43, and the upper end of the screw is grooved as at 44 for thepurposeof retaining thereon a clamping button 45.

1 the slots 23 and 24 as shown in Fig. 2.

This button is preferably made from a flat sheet of metal bent to form aflat end piece 46 and a peripheral .flange bent reversely in spacedrelation to the disk to form a centrally apertured back plate 47 with anannular neck portion 48 engaging in the groove 44 in the screw. Tofacilitate the formation of the back plate 47 and the neck 48, the metalmay be slotted as at 49.

To assist the clamping screw in holding the bracket in position on theedge portion B of a table or the like, as shown in Fig. 5, the yokeportion 18 of the bracket may be formed with a plurality of downwardlypressed bosses 50.

In the operation of the device, one end of a potato is impaled upon theprong 12 and the driver 16 caused to penetrate the potato in nonrotativerelation thereto. By rotating the shaft 14 through the medium of thecrank 15 and its handle 29, the potato is caused to revolve relative tothe cutter blades l and l1. These blades, as shown more clearly in Figs.3 and 4, are oppositely disposed and have straight edges so as toproduce cuttings in the form of two thin flat strips A1 and A2, whichpass outwardly through As the operation proceeds and the potato fedforwardly, each of the cutting blades operates to cut a separate strip,and while the normal tendency of each blade is to cut the strip into theform of a helix, I have found that by providing two blades in opposedrelation as shown, the strips as cut act upon each other in a mannersuch as to oppose this natural spiral formation and to form instead twostrips having wavy contours. Accordingly, at the end of the cuttingoperation, the two strips are separated for independent handling. Thisis distinctly advantageous as compared `to the spiral formation of thestrips in that in the latter case, the adjacent convolutions have atendency to stick or cling together so as to interfere with the propertreatment of the strips in the subsequent frying operation.

In Fig. 3a I have shown cutter blades with their cutting edges ofcorrugated form so as to provide L -a plurality of spaced cutting teetha and 11a.

As indicated by the circle in broken lines, the teeth of the respectiveblades are relatively staggered. Thus the teeth of each blade areadapted to form a plurality of spaced concentric grooves, leaving ridgesbetween them which are cut by the teeth of the other blade while forminga similar set of grooves. The cuttings produced by such cooperativeaction of the two blades are in the form of elongated strands instead ofthe relatively wide strips formed by the blades of Fig. 3.

It will also be obvious that by reason of the construction employed, thedevice may be made largely from sheet metal stampings and hence capableof being produced at a low cost.

I claim as my invention:

1. A slicing implement comprising, in combination, a supporting brackethaving a horizontal base portion adapted to rest upon the upper surfaceof a table or the like at one edge thereof, a cutter blade mounted onsaid bracket, a shaft journaled in said bracket for rotatably supportingand feeding toward said blade an object to be sliced, and a separableclamp for securing said bracket on the table, comprising a body formedfrom a single piece of sheet metal and having a vmain portion adapted tobe positioned in vertically spaced parallel relation with respect to thebase portion c-f said bracket, an upright arm at one end adapted to abutthe underside of said base portion, and a pair of arms rising from themain portion intermediate its'ends in straddling relation to the baseportion and 'adapted to engage with the upper side thereof in spacedrelation to said abutting arm, and a clamping screw threading throughthe main portion at the end opposite said arm adapted to engage with theunderside of said table edge.

2. A slicing implement comprising, in combination, a supporting bracketof U-form having a horizontal base portion adapted to rest upon theupper surface of a table or the like near one edge thereof, a cutterblade mounted on said bracket, means carried by said bracket forsupporting and feeding relative to said cutter blade an object to besliced, and a clamp for securing said bracket on the table comprising abody formed from a single piece of sheet metal and having a horizontalportion extending in vertically spaced parallel relation to the baseportion of said bracket and arms rising from said horizontal portionconnecting said clamp to said bracket, a clamping screw passing throughsaid horizontal portion adapted to engage the underside of i said tableedge, and a nut through which said screw is threaded resting on theupper surface of the horizontal portion, said horizontal portion havingupturned flanges along its edges to strengthen it and to secure said nutagainst l rotation.

LUCIEN I. YEOMANS.

